Neto homers, Kerry makes solid debut but Angels can't sustain momentum in Arizona

PHOENIX -- After throwing five strong innings against the Rays on Friday, lefty Sam Aldegheri earned another start against the D-backs on Wednesday.

But Aldegheri struggled, allowing six runs over three innings, as the offense was held in check in an 8-1 loss at Chase Field. The Angels couldn’t build on their impressive 7-0 victory on Tuesday and suffered another series loss.

Here are three takeaways from the series finale in Arizona:

Aldegheri hit hard

It was clear early that it wasn’t going to be Aldegheri’s afternoon, as he gave up a leadoff single to Ketel Marte in the first and also uncorked a wild pitch and walked a batter. But he got out of the jam by inducing a fly out to Nolan Arenado to deep right.

He wasn’t as fortunate in the second, when he walked Ildemaro Vargas to open the frame and gave up an RBI triple to Tommy Troy. After hitting Marte with a pitch and walking Geraldo Perdomo, he served up a grand slam to Corbin Carroll on a 1-1 changeup on the inside part of the zone.

“I think it was the right pitch, just the wrong location,” Aldegheri said. “I just didn't execute. He already saw two in the first at-bat. I paid the price.”

He came back out for the third but surrendered a double to Jordan Lawlar before Troy drove him in for an RBI single. Aldegheri has seen his ERA jump from 2.12 to 4.50 in 20 innings this season.

The rotation is already thin with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez landing on the injured list on Monday with lower back tightness and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.

As a result, Aldegheri could remain in the rotation, as the Angels still haven’t announced who will replace Rodriguez. Right-handers Caden Dana and George Klassen are the top candidates.

“We're talking about it,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “It’s something that we're discussing with what the rotation will look like here coming up.”

Kerry solid in MLB debut

With Aldegheri tossing only three innings, the Angels turned to right-hander Brett Kerry for length out of the bullpen. Kerry, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday, pitched four innings to help save the bullpen. He was called up after six seasons and 581 1/3 career innings in the Minors.

“It was just surreal,” Kerry said. “A dream come true. It was a great moment, all the hard work that I put in. It was an unreal experience.”

Kerry walked the first batter he faced in the fifth and nearly got out of a jam that inning but Marte ripped a two-run double past first baseman Vaughn Grissom with two outs. Grissom was reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday with the club making the difficult decision to designate first baseman Trey Mancini for assignment.

Otherwise, Kerry did his job and struck out two, including Troy for his first career strikeout on a changeup in the fifth inning. He received the ball from the strikeout and his first out as keepsakes and said he plans to give them to his dad, Larry.

“He was probably nervous that first inning but I thought he settled in and pitched well,” Suzuki said. “Attacked the strike zone. I thought he did a really good job.”

Neto builds on his performance

After going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a double play on Monday, Angels shortstop Zach Neto’s body language looked noticeably down. But he bounced back on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with a homer and a triple off the top of the wall in center. He said he’s trying to focus more on swinging at strikes.

The 25-year-old did just that again on Wednesday, connecting on a leadoff homer off Eduardo Rodriguez in the first inning -- his 15th dinger of the year. Overall, Neto went 2-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. The Angels would love to see him keep this momentum going.

“It was good to see him walk and lay off some tough pitches,” Suzuki said. “The home run to center field, especially on an off-speed pitch, I thought that that was a great sign. He's just got to keep going and keep getting better.”